August is P6 Month, and P6 Month is very special to Seward Co-op.

During this time, we celebrate all our P6 producers and applaud their tremendous work in contributing to a more equitable and just food system!

You’ll only see the P6 label at co-ops because that’s what “P6” means – co-operation among co-ops, the sixth principle of cooperatives. Seward is proud to have been the first co-op grocery to carry this label and even prouder that there are now seven grocery co-ops in the national P6 program:

• Viroqua Food Co-op, Viroqua, WI
• Three Rivers Market, Knoxville, TN
• Seward Community Co-op, Minneapolis, MN
• Ozark Natural Foods, Fayetteville, AR
• Eastside Food Co-op, Minneapolis, MN
• Bloomingfoods, Bloomington, IN
• Menomonie Market Food Co-op, Menomonie, WI

For a product supplier to receive the P6 label, it must meet two of three criteria: It must be locally owned, small-scale, and/or cooperatively owned. So when you buy P6, you’re promoting small-scale farmers, local foods and goods, and cooperatives. Most of these producers are single-person operations or family-run farms with small stories that could get easily missed by busy shoppers.

Celebrate P6 producers with us all through August!

Enter Seward Co-op’s #P6plate photo contest and you could win a terrific P6 prize for P6 Month.

All through the month of August (P6 Month) we are collecting #P6Plate pictures from Seward hot bar diners like you, selecting the best, and giving away LOTS of fabulous P6 items for your creations!

Here’s how you can enter and win!

1) Come to Seward Co-op for a Deli hot bar and/or salad bar meal.

2) Create an absolutely drop-dead beautiful plate of P6 Seward Co-op deli hot bar food. Yellow saffron rice with purple cabbage. Green peas popping against chicken mole. Get creative with what’s on hand! Make a face. A map. Seward Co-op’s logo. Starry Starry Night with Goddess Dressing. Express yourself.

3) Upload your finished photo to Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram — your choice! Use the hashtag #P6Plate so we’ll be sure to see your picture, and don’t forget to correctly tag Seward Co-op on your posting.

4) Members of Seward Co-op’s marketing department will choose winners based on artistic merit, color choice, originality, and creative expression. We will notify winners via social media.

If you don’t win, don’t worry. Just keep entering new #P6Plate photos (multiple entries are encouraged). We have a LOT of great P6 prizes to give away so there will be lots of winners. Prizes have been donated for the #P6Plate contest by of our favorite vendors and friends, like:

• Luci Daum
• Scent from Nature Beeswax Candles
• Wyndmere Essential Oils
• Global Mamas
• Badger Balm
• Four (4!) complimentary one-year memberships to Nice Ride MN!

We’ll pick winners every 3 or 4 days, so check in on Seward Co-op social media to see if you’ve won. Don’t forget to follow Seward Co-op on

• Twitter
• Facebook, or
• Instagram
  

if you want to enter the contest. Let’s get all of Minneapolis and St. Paul creating healthy dinners with beautiful P6 food!

* Photo is an example only. Your pictures will definitely be much better than this one. Chocolate courtesy P6 Company Equal Exchange Co-op.

Seward Co-op today issued a voluntary recall of Bulk Commodity Peanut Butter (PLU 2301), located in the Bulk Aisle, due to a piece of plastic found in the peanut butter grinding machine. No illnesses or injury have been associated with this product.

All peanut butter was removed from the grinder on Saturday, July 25. This recalled product was on sale for $3.99 per pound, regular price $6.19 per pound. Affected product may have been purchased between Wednesday, July 15, 2015 (when the machine was last serviced) through Saturday, July 25, 2015.

If you purchased the above product during that time, do not consume. Recalled products will be fully refunded at our Customer Service desk.

The co-op is also sending an email to all members who have purchased this item alerting them of the situation. (Customers who wish to be contacted via email about recalls should make sure we have their up-to-date contact information. Sign up here, on the left under “e-newsletter.”)

Since starting the Friendship store project more than two years ago, we have learned a tremendous amount as an organization. We have had significant discussion about what we mean when we say that the co-op has “equitable economic relationships.” This discussion has led the co-op to strive for greater inclusivity. In May we decided to create a position to focus on this effort. We are happy to announce that in July, LaDonna Sanders-Redmond (formerly Education & Outreach Specialist for the Friendship store) accepted the position of Diversity & Community Engagement Manager. LaDonna will work with all stakeholders to focus on how we can accomplish our goal of being a more diverse and inclusive workplace and cooperative.

LaDonna’s new position will create a platform through which to share these insights with others outside of Seward Co-op. This will include the broader Twin Cities and cooperative communities and others interested in how cooperatives can be used to further racial and economic equity. The next few months will be a time of tremendous change for the co-op. The Creamery will open imminently and the Friendship store is around the corner. We will be welcoming nearly 100 new employees to help us operate these two businesses. If you know someone who is looking for a great place to work, check our job boards or website, or attend our job fair on Saturday, Aug. 15, at Sabathani Community Center (310 E. 38th St.). We will do on-the-spot interviews to help us reach our hiring goals.

LaDonna says she is excited about her new position. “In this new capacity, I can combine my skills of being an effective communicator with my passion for food and my commitment to racial and economic equity,” she said. “I hope to facilitate a deeper connection between co-ops and communities of color that enhances the resiliency of communities.”

This summer, Nourish celebrates its first anniversary. A year ago, Seward Co-op launched the Nourish program as a way to provide greater access to the products and services we offer. We recognize that shopping for healthful and affordable food can be challenging. This is why, in conjunction with the introduction of Nourish, we increased our needs-based discount last year from 5% to 10%.

We do not want financial need to be a barrier to shopping at Seward Co-op. At the same time, we have to be conscious of maintaining the co-op’s financial health. When deciding how much to increase the discount, we evaluated the impact that this change would have on our pre-distribution net income (PDNI). We have a goal of accomplishing at least 3% PDNI so that we have enough to issue a patronage refund to our owners. For every $100 of discount sales, we lost $2 when the needs-based discount was 5%. Moving it to 10% increased that loss to $7.

When the discount was 5%, we determined that for every $100 dollars of discounted sales, we needed $515 of regular priced sales to make up for these losses in order to maintain 3% PDNI; at 10%, it became $1,031. There are those who think we should raise our discount to 20%. If we were to do that, the co-op would lose $17 on every $100 of discount sales, which would require an additional $2,062 in sales. This table breaks down how this works.

Since the introduction of Nourish last year, the co-op has sold $1,582,854 in Nourish products and given $209,787 in needs-based discounts. We believe the current 10% discount rate strikes an appropriate balance between providing affordable options in the community, providing an appropriate patronage refund to owners, and maintaining the financial health of the co-op.

What Else Does Nourish Offer?

In addition to increasing our discount, we also used the Nourish program to more proactively promote the payment options we have for ownership. In addition to the one-time payment of $75, we offer a partial payment and a needs-based option. Shoppers who have financial need can become owners with an initial investment of $15 through the needs-based ownership option. (The remaining $60 of co-op stock is accrued through patronage refund earnings.) Needs-based ownerships were started in 2013 and are available to those enrolled in Minnesota Food Assistance/Support, WIC, MinnesotaCare and Minnesota Medical Assistance, Social Security Disability or other self-identified need. Since its inception, we have welcomed 695 owners to the co-op through the needs-based ownership program.

The Nourish program also focuses heavily on education. After all, it is the fifth cooperative principle. The program helps shoppers identify Nourish items — which include some of the co-op’s most popular foods and wellness products — by using our staples list (found at Customer Service and online) as a guide. Shelf signs throughout the store also designate Nourish items, and our staff are always happy to point out Nourish options.

Cooking at home is an important component to Nourish. The recipe rack next to the Customer Service desk contains many Nourish options. Nourish recipes are an affordable way to feed four people — often for $10 or less — using ingredients available at Seward Co-op. The co-op offers a series of free Nourish classes designed around shopping the co-op and making unique dishes using Nourish ingredients. Classes teach basic scratch-cooking techniques, how to prepare recipes that feed a family of four for under $10, and how to shop the co-op. Class topics have included Simple Thanksgiving Sides, Kwanzaa Table, Cooking with Bulk Grains, and an African Heritage Cooking series.

For more information on Nourish, visit our website or pick up a Nourish brochure in the store.

Dear Seward Co-op Owners,

Just months from now is the scheduled opening of the Friendship store, which is a realization of the co-op’s long-term vision of expanding our community-owned business. In October 2015, nearly 2,000 households that are current owners of Seward Co-op will have a store less than 1½ miles from their home. We are writing to address the conversations the board of directors has been having, and the questions and comments we have been hearing regarding the Friendship store.

We started this project over two years ago when The Carrot Initiative, a non-profit formed by residents of the four neighborhoods around 38th and Chicago to attract a grocer to the community, invited Seward Co-op to consider opening at the former site of the Greater Friendship Missionary Baptist Church. Their building had been on the market for a couple of years. It proved to be a good site. We decided to call it the Friendship store to honor this history. We believe it will be a place to bring neighbors, family and friends together.

Since our very first community meeting at Sabathani Community Center in July 2013, co-op board, management, and staff have been engaged in conversations and outreach with the neighborhoods surrounding the Friendship store. For example, members of the co-op management, staff, and board have attended and participated in the Future of East 38th Street community meetings; engaged in conversations and education with community members through door-to-door outreach; and attended many neighborhood events, fairs, and educational programs. The board is energized by the support and encouragement the co-op has received in our direct conversations with members of the community throughout the surrounding neighborhoods of Bryant and Central.

At our May meeting, the board welcomed owners who presented a petition and wished to discuss the decision to postpone the conversation regarding creating a Mutual Benefits Agreement (MBA). After that meeting the board expressed its continued agreement with the decision made by Bryant Neighborhood Organization (BNO) and co-op management that our focus needs to be on opening the Co-op Creamery Café and Friendship store. We responded to those owners who signed this petition to inform them of our continued support of that decision.

At the June board meeting, representatives of Central Area Neighborhood Development Organization (CANDO) were given time to state their reasons why Seward Co-op should accept the Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) that they drafted as a starting point for negotiations. The board discussed their request and decided to continue, as planned, with the decision made by Seward Co-op and BNO to defer this conversation until after the Friendship store opens. You can find a letter to CANDO on our website.

The board agrees that management’s efforts to enter into an MBA is the correct approach. The proposed CBA is not congruent with co-op values. However, we want to be clear that this does not mean that the co-op’s board and management have ceased our conversations with the community or compromised our goals, aspirations, or ideals related to the Friendship store. To the contrary, many of the provisions that have been proposed in the CBA have already been addressed by the co-op, independent of the recent proposal by CANDO. For example:

• The co-op voluntarily set construction hiring goals that are used by the City of Minneapolis.
• The co-op has set hiring goals to be a more inclusive workplace.
• The Seward Co-op Nourish program offers both a needs-based ownership option and a discount.
• Seward Co-op has used the Minneapolis living wage model for more than eight years. Factoring in discounts, benefits and insurance, all vested co-op employees earn at least $15 per hour.
• Seward Co-op has engaged in outreach and partnerships throughout the neighborhoods surrounding the store. We have supported, and will continue to support, many Bryant-Central based organizations and nonprofits.

Our website has more information about the co-op’s efforts with respect to the Friendship store. In addition, we must note that the CBA proposed by CANDO has several provisions that could potentially put the co-op in fiscal jeopardy, including a stipulation that the co-op can be fined $1,000 a day (up to $100,000) if it does not operate in accordance with the CBA. We cannot accept these kinds of terms as a starting point for any conversation.

The board believes that management’s actions and decisions on these issues are entirely consistent with and further Seward Co-op’s Ends Statement and the International Cooperative Principles. The board supports management’s efforts to ensure that any agreement that the co-op enters into be consistent with the International Cooperative Principles. Finally, and fundamentally, the board believes that the co-op has had, and will continue to have, a positive effect on the communities within which the co-op operates.

From the beginning of this process, we heard concerns regarding racial equity and social justice. We invite owners to review our Scorecard to see our progress on our goals. Make no mistake, we still have work to do, and we look forward to doing that work in the months and years to come. We thank everyone who has been involved with the Friendship store to this point. Promoting healthy food, living wages, affordability, accessibility, and concern for community have long been a priority of the cooperative and we look forward to building trust and meeting the expectations that our shared values require.

In Cooperation,

Leah Janus – President, Board of Directors
Joe Riemann – Vice-President, Board of Directors

For a list of common questions we have received and how we are responding, follow this link.

Seward Co-op is planning on the creation and installation of original pieces of artwork for the Friendship store. The building design designates two wall locations for local art work, one on an exterior wall, and one on an interior wall that will be visible from the outside.

Our goal is to honor the history of the site and its cultural impact. We want to celebrate the communities and events that have made the neighborhoods around Friendship home.

For more information, contact LaDonna Sanders-Redmond at lsandersredmond@seward.coop.

Download the RFP for the project here.

Please submit proposals via email. The submission deadline for proposals is 10 p.m. on Friday, July 31, 2015.

For a brief background on the cooperative movement within the African American community, read these articles by LaDonna Sanders-Redmond:

Additional historical materials:

Bryant Central Co-op 1977 (PDF)
Bryant-Central Co-op facade (image)
Kenneth “Mo” Burton (image)

This Monday, July 13! Join Seward Co-op and other Seward members at Fair State Brewing Cooperative for happy hour 4 p.m. – 6 p.m. Bring your Seward ownership card and enjoy a beer at half-price (one per person).

Did you know Fair State Brewing is a co-op just like Seward? They have membership, a board of directors, and an annual election, just like we do. The one big difference?

THEY HAVE BEER.

Case in point, we’re particularly excited to try Fair State’s Hefeweizen, if it’s still available. City Pages calls this beer “a great addition to the local scene!”

So join let’s get a mob of Seward owners over at Fair State and get some co-operating done.

WHERE: 2506 Central Avenue Nordeast Minneapolis
WHEN: 4 p.m. – 6 p.m. Monday, July 13

WHY: Well. Co-operation among co-ops IS a key principle…